#i say this because I was basically driven out of the ATLA fandom

[unalivenote]

I really… love it here. Everyone’s so chill. Everyone respects each other’s opinions. Headcanons, ships, interpretations… whatever. Nobody cares. Do what you want. It’s fun. People will reblog shit about death note they don’t even really agree with because it’s all fun. It’s all goofy and good. It’s all interesting and fun to consider even when it’s not your personal cup of tea. Nobody pulls any dumb moralizing bullshit. Nobody gets in stupid fights over ships or interpretations. I know I’m a relatively new DN fan and I’ve probably missed a lot of fandom drama. But it’s just… nice. Everyone in this corner of tumblr just truly loves to dunk on these goofy little dipshits. Nobody cares who you ship. Nobody cares what you focus on or gives you shit for what you like or value most about the story. Because it’s a story about murder. It’s a story about a fucked up guy and and another, differently fucked up guy and a fucked up girly and a couple surprisingly normal death gods. It’s serious it’s hilarious it’s weird it’s really good and it’s also not all that good and it’s absolutely ridiculous and stupid. And everyone is really nice. We’re having fun. I like you guys. I like it here. :)!!

[seyaryminamoto]

Little Lu Ten really admired his uncle, itseems 😅 Is there a possibility that Ozai would have orchestrated Lu Ten's death? 😳

... I know that's a relatively popular theory in the fandom, but that's absolutely not the case in Gladiator and, I'd dare say, absolutely unlikely in canon too.

Not only do I enjoy writing a far more complex Ozai than canon's, not only do I very much want him to feel like Zuko's dark counterpart, the kind of person Zuko 100% could have become without the support of the people who guided him down a better path, but...

... did you ever watch LOK? Book 2, in particular?

There are a lot of things in Book 2 of LOK that made me realize I was on a ride I didn't really want to be on anymore, and I stuck it out basically because I was in the fandom, too active and in-too-deep to just stop watching. But I would say the first moment that made me go "... oh shit, this writing is really bad" would be when Unalaq's grand, contrived plan to frame Tonraq for having "unleashed spirits on the Northern Water Tribe with his irresponsible behavior," was revealed. Not only was Korra's behavior disturbing for me in that scene, the explanations were so ridiculous and embarrassing that I wanted to scream. Basically: Unalaq hired a bunch of criminals to cause trouble so that they'd get their asses kicked by Tonraq in a VERY specific spiritual location, all because he 100% knew that would result in a bunch of dark spirits attacking the Northern Water Tribe! And when that happened, he swept in as the hero to save the day through a bending technique that goes 100% against everything we knew about bending in ATLA, while Tonraq looked like the worst person ever, got banished, and Unalaq became heir to the throne!

... Wouldn't it have made perfect sense for Tonraq to ACTUALLY be a flawed hero? Wouldn't it have been a more INTERESTING story if Tonraq learned from his arrogance, while Unalaq, instead, grew INCREASINGLY arrogant? So, you know, parallel character development, in inverse directions? It would've been a far more interesting writing choice :'D even if the whole situation is as weird and wonky as it is, at least this actually means character growth could be had, right?

But no. We had the weirdest con in the history of the Water Tribe instead. How wasn't Unalaq suspicious from the start due to the CONVENIENCE of him revealing this power to purify spirits that nobody's ever heard of before? Why would the criminals take money from one prince to get killed/attacked by another?? Were they criminals, really, or were they the Northern Water Tribe's BDSM club who had the hots for Tonraq and wanted him to beat them up? So much about the "logic" of this scenario was so absolutely ridiculous... add to this that the seemingly random judge happens to know ALL about it, and he's ready to give Korra all the explanations that straightforwardly say "YES. YOUR UNCLE IS A BAD MAN. GO PUNCH HIM." Put it all together, and it's so contrived, so exaggerated, it steals all agency from characters, the plans don't even make sense: why wouldn't Unalaq just... have Tonraq killed? if he wanted the throne?? oldest tale in the book?? there's literally no character-driven reason that justifies him doing all the BS he did just to have Tonraq conveniently banished instead of killed. So, yeah, this whole thing is just one hell of A Writing Choice. :')

... And with all this being said, I suppose you may see where I'm going with this.

Ozai doesn't need to orchestrate the murder of his nephew from halfway across the world for Lu Ten to die. In fact, considering Ozai's track record, be it in Gladiator or in canon? I'd dare say that any attempts of his to get Lu Ten killed would backfire so badly that Azulon would've somehow ended up abdicating, and Iroh too, so that Lu Ten could be Fire Lord, if Ozai had been targeting his nephew deliberately. Yes, I'm making fun of him again, but... think about canon Ozai for a minute, if you may indulge me: he planned to ruin Zuko's life by sending him to hunt down the Avatar, and Zuko ended up not only finding the Avatar but taking Ozai's throne. You know. The throne Ozai connived and plotted to get all his life. And he held it for a grand total of 5 years before losing it to his 16yo son. Damn. A top-tier strategist, isn't he?

My point, boiled down to simplicity is... simplicity, in itself.

Lu Ten is in a war front. An active, violent one. He's in a fierce battle against the best earthbending forces of the Earth Kingdom, who are tasked with defending Ba Sing Se, a city that's supposed to be impenetrable.

These earthbenders do not need dirty money from a Fire Lord's son to decide to kill an enemy soldier. Unless we think that Lu Ten is lazy and cowardly, and that he would not get his hands dirty and would not be involved in the fighting, he would've been in constant danger while serving on the battlefield. The situation, once Ba Sing Se's Outer Wall broke, absolutely REQUIRES for the battle to grow fiercer, as the stakes have never been higher for the Earth Kingdom's defenses. So, with this scenario in mind? Even the most grotesque version of Ozai has no need to hire any murderers to kill Lu Ten. He's in enough danger as it is, and along with Lu Ten, hundreds of other Fire Nation soldiers are bound to have died. He just happened to be one of them.

Ah, and if the working theory is that Lu Ten died because of a firebender? There's no way the show wouldn't have brought this up. If he had been stabbed in the back with a Fire Nation sword/dagger/spear? Same thing. At no point is there any indication that Lu Ten died because he got attacked from behind by his fellow soldiers, it would have been too important an element in his death for the story to not bring it up.

Along with this, I'd wager that any version of Ozai who HAD hired someone to kill Lu Ten would not have been quite so chill, taking over the throne while Iroh just drinks tea and plays the fool. If Lu Ten died by foul play? Provable foul play? (Ozai would leave a pretty damn obvious trail if he was behind this, let's not give Loser Lord more credit than he's due, please) Iroh would not have been so stupid as to not realize it. And, upon going home? The first, most obvious potential culprit for Lu Ten's death is the guy who benefits from it all: Ozai. And I know, yes, Iroh got redeemed and realized violence was not the answer... but Iroh, too, talked about Ozai with a carelessness and a casual demeanor in canon that is completely incompatible with that of a father who at LEAST suspects his son may have been murdered by his piece of shit of a brother :'D

SO!

... in conclusion, no. Ozai didn't have Lu Ten killed. Categorically untrue in Gladiator, and in my opinion, laughable and unlikely in canon as well due to how contrived and unncessary it is, not to mention how badly this reflects on Iroh's inaction and passivity if his son was actually killed by his own brother (imagine being harsher towards your 14yo niece than towards your brother-who-killed-your-son, ffs...). Ozai's bad enough as he is: blaming him for every awful thing that happens in his family feels like an unnecessary way to make him the source of all evil when we all know, already, that he's very, very bad. People die on battlefields. It doesn't have to be because of mercenaries specifically hired to find one specific person amid hundreds or thousands of soldiers and making sure THAT ONE (1) DUDE dies.

I suspect you'll be quite surprised, once we get to the flashbacks that deal with the subject, to discover that Ozai was in fact interpreting Lu Ten as an ally to himself. He thought Lu Ten would wind up actively supporting Ozai's bid as Fire Lord :') he believed he could be helpful for his schemes. And when he dies? It's a blow to Ozai's plans, at first. He tries to work with it later... doesn't go super well, of course. You'll see when we get there :'D

[itsclydebitches]

Can I point out how stupid it is that only at the end of V8 did anybody realize "oh wait there's more than these two arbitrary options for saving Atlas" and it was when it was too late? RWBY and Ironwood had access to an artifact called the Staff of Fucking Creation. It can pretty much anything as long as you've got the smarts to make it happen. You could've landed Atlas and made a shield. Or a giant robot. Or literally anything other than "Leave or Stay".

Personally, I'm convinced that the Staff is just another version of Amity. Meaning, like Amity was 100% unfinished in Volume 7 and thus not a resource that Ironwood could rely on, only to miraculously be ready to go when Ruby wanted it, the Staff is presented as an artifact with severe limitations in Volume 7 when Ironwood (the bad guy) wanted to escape, only to miraculously become a tool that could do anything — get everyone to Vacuo and give Penny a human body — when Ruby (the hero) wanted it.

What do we actually know about the Staff in Volume 7? Only that it was creating a power source that kept Atlas floating above Mantle. What did Ironwood want to do with the Staff? Raise Atlas higher. Those two pieces of information align with one another, implying that the Staff, for whatever reason, is only — or currently only — capable of moving this city around. What else do we know about the Relics? That the Lamp has a limitation of three questions per hundred years. Why would the Staff be any different? Many fans, given the dearth of information, extrapolated based on these details. Perhaps the Staff can also only create three things each hundred years too and we're currently on the third creation this century. Perhaps you can modify it — I want this power source to amp up a bit and take us higher — but you can't create something entirely new yet. Because why would the Staff function totally differently from the one Relic we actually know something about? More importantly, why, as you say, wouldn't Ironwood have considered another option other than rising really high? I defended that idea heartily because the story presents it as the only option available. It wasn't a matter of whether the option was good, but the fact that it was the one option they had, other than throwing themselves at an immortal witch. Surely Ironwood, a military and Kingdom leader, is smart enough to hit on the idea that the Staff of Creation can do more than just take them into the air IF it can do more than that at the moment... right?

Volume 7 told us nothing about the Staff, but heavily implied that little could be done with it while Ironwood was in control of the situation. They had two options: stay or go. That was it.

Volume 8 explained the Staff's capabilities literally minutes before Ruby needed to use it, oh so conveniently creating a new situation where the Staff was not only capable of so much more and lacked the limitations of the Lamp, but also functioned in a manner that perfectly allowed for Ruby's "twist" requests. When did the group have time to come up with the (supposedly) perfect wording to save Penny and get everyone safely to Vacuo? The answer doesn't matter because the Staff's abilities were created for their needs, rather than the writing forcing them to come up with solutions to the Staff's requirements.

I did the latest quest for my covenant in WoW the other day and one NPC has a line about how convenient it is that the exact person we needed is also the person who has just shown up. It's meant to be a gentle self-teasing by the writers, acknowledging how they've manipulated the plot in an unlikely way for conveniences sake and in doing so the setup (hopefully) becomes funny for the player, rather than frustrating. RWBY's writing is that cranked up to ten and there's no knowing wink at the audience to get us on the writer's side. The rules, limitations, and expectations of this world continually bend to benefit the group and the result is not just a frustration with their lack of growth as a result, but also an equal frustration at how stupid it makes other characters look, even though they're meant to be smart, knowledgeable, and following the world's rules at the time. Ironwood retroactively looks foolish for his choice, even though the choice is supposed to be about the sacrifice he'd have to make, not his inability to come up with other solutions. The group, meanwhile, looks even worse given their refusal to fight or come up with additional ideas, only to gleefully hit on a perfect solution precisely when the plot needs them to — we're nearing the end of the Volume, best have that epiphany now. But, of course, the story doesn't criticize the group for their own lack of creativity, nor is the fandom interested in criticizing them for not thinking up another use for the Staff within two days, compared to Ironwood trying to come up with a use literally seconds after Salem announces that she's on her way. Yet such details are ultimately inconsequential because RWBY was never interested in creating a fair, continuity-driven story that weighs hard choices, only in continually changing the rules to ensure that the group comes out looking the best. RWBY's stakes are too high and the problems too complicated to easily write solutions where the group looks smart, compassionate, and heroic despite those challenges... so instead we're given "solutions" based on a situation that has totally changed.

It's like watching a chess match where Ironwood looses badly and the spectators are desperately trying to figure out the rules along the way, coming to some basic conclusions about what is and is not allowed in a match. Except then the group's game begins and it's revealed that they can move their pieces in whatever way they'd like, no knights moving in an 'L' shape or bishops not being allowed to jump other pieces, etc. "Well why didn't Ironwood just move his pawn eight squares too? The idiot" comes the reaction, ignoring that he was very much playing a different game, one where he was actually bound by those rules.

[littlemisssquiggles]

I just realized, in the movie, "Return to Oz", Dorothy gets separated from Princess Ozma in the beginning of the movie and the Knome King, a tyrant, kidnaps the Scarecrow. Which is pretty similar to getting separated from Oscar and Qrow getting arrested. This could also mean Ruby thinks Oscar is dead but then aids the team against Mombi aka Cinder

For real. Y'know as you brought up “Return to Oz”, it makes me wonder if we’ll get any more Oz-inspired characters for next season.

Like for example, this squiggle meister is still hoping for a Jack Pumpkinhead inspired RWBY Character. I even started toying around with the thought of what if…apart from Oz, Oscar is somehow joined by Jack Pumpkinhead who helps him on his journey back to Atlas?

Basically I have this new Pinehead headcanon where Oscar meets a RWBY versions of “Return to Oz” characters—Jack Pumpkinhead (and byextension Sawhorse), Tik Tok and even Bilinda the Talking Hen who become his companions for V8 while he’s separated from his main team.

Okay, hear me out with this: If I recall correctly, Jack Pumpkinhead had his own house in Oz, correct?

According to research, Jack Pumpkinhead’s house was hollowed out pumpkin located in the Gilikin Country near the Tin Woodman’s castle and a day’s journey from the Emerald City. Based on a description from the Oz Fandom Wiki page, Jack’s house rested in the centre of a vast pumpkin field where vines grew in profusion and bore pumpkins of varying sizes along with other vegetables that Jack grew in his garden.

With this in mind, if the CRWBY Writers wished to incorporate elements of “Return to Oz” into Oscar’s story, this could potentially be a neat way they could also introduce characters such as Jack Pumpkinhead. As of the end of V7, Oscar is on his own far, far away somewhere off in Solitas or far Mantle that is right below Atlas Kingdom.

Imagine if…after wandering through the cold of Solitas (especially in his current state), Oscar suddenly collapses from exhaustion in the snow where he is ultimately discovered by a Jack Pumpkinhead inspired RWBY Character.

Jack Pumpkinhead takes Oscar back to his little home that was located right below Atlas—a.k.a the Castle of the Tin Man meaning Ironwood. At his house, Jack Pumpkinhead nurses Oscar back to health, providing him with a nice hot meal prepared with some of the vegetables he had successfully managed to harvest in spite of the cold climate. He even took the liberty of washing Oscar’s clothes for him and/or providing him with new attire better acclimatized for the Solitas weather. Remember, apart from visiting Pietro’s workshop and fighting off the Saybers in downtown Mantle, Oscar hasn’t experienced being out in Solitas unlike his peers. Remember Ruby’s comment about it being “freezing” out in Solitas near the mines? Remember Weiss’ comment that without aura and proper heating, the cold of Solitas can kill you in a matter of minutes.

Remember Blake’s comment about not feeling so bad about leaving Oscar behind so he doesn’t have to experience how cold it really was out there in the tundra.

Remember where Oscar is right now as of the end of V7? Out in the cold of Solitas, near the mines! I’m just saying—it would be really cool if Oscar got a little wardrobe upgrade for V8. He doesn’t necessarily have to change his whole outfit. But he could get a nice red scarf for the cold and y’know hiding his identity too since he’s supposed to be a dead man. Juuuuust saying…

Unlike my previous musings of a RWBY-inspired Pumpkinhead character, thi s version is a human but his personality and mannerisms still comply with his Ozcounterpart. If I had to picture a human version of Jack Pumpkinhead—I’dimagine him being an exceedingly tall Mantlese youth, no older than nineteenyears old  physically but possessing the naivety of a kid younger than Oscar.

I like the idea of this Jack character taking an instant shine to Oscar, treating him as a little brother almost; nicknaming him “Princey” in reference to his attire.

Basically the idea I have is that Jack Pumpkinhead would join Oscar Pine (Princess Ozma/Tip/The Little Prince) in his return to Atlas by transporting him on the back of his mighty steed—a motorcycle with a sidecar that Jack lovingly christened Sawhorse (based of the Oz character of the same name who was Jack’s form of transport).

Seriously if the CRWBY wished to introduce a Jack Pumpkinhead character into the series for Oscar’s side of things, now would be an appropriate time to do it. Just picture it: Oscar on the back of Sawhorse being driven by Jack Pumpkinhead back to Atlas. I would honestly lose my shit if something like that happened for V8.

Not to mention that I also have this neat way the show could bring Klein Sieban back into the story. Since Klein was unjustly fired from Schnee Manor by Jacques, according to Whitley, this got me thinking.

What if…and this is a huge IF, Oscar meets Klein down in Far Solitas as well and just like Jack Pumpkinhead, Klein ends up accompanying Oscar as a companion on his journey and basically acts as his version of Tik Tok.

I’m just saying. In terms of build, Klein is the perfect candidate for a Tik Tok inspired RWBY Character especially since RWBY Characters can have multiple inspirations.

I really dig the idea of Klein playing a double role as the embodiment of the Seven Dwarves in Weiss’ Snow White Story in addition to TikTok in Oscar’s Little Prince/ Return to Oz story. It’s perfect!

Not to mention that I just would love to see Oscar meet Klein and go on adventure with him. We never got to see Klein reunite with Weiss and meet any of her friends that he got fired trying to help her get back to. It would be nice if Klein is brought back into the series this way and part of his motive for joining Oscar on his journey and even helping him in the first place was after he discovered that he was an ally of his “little snowflake”.

As for Bilinda the Talking Hen. Well for RWBY, Bilinda the Talking Hen could be Bilinda the Talking Baby Chick—the pet chick of Jack Pumpkinhead who also an immediate liking to Oscar upon first meeting—probably because of his farm boy background since back on the farm, chicks loved Oscar for some reason.  

From what I know about Bilinda, her character was basically the Toto of “Return to Oz”. As we know, Zwei is RWBY’s version of Toto. So…why not have a version of Bilinda too? RWBY could use more legit animal characters. Zwei can’t be the only animal mascot of the series.

If Ruby can have Zwei, then let Oscar have Bilinda, dagnabbit!  Make Bilinda a cute little baby chick thatlikes to sit on top Oscar’s bed of fluffy hair.

Bonus if Oscar introduces Bilinda to Ruby and the prince’s rose becomes enamoured with his little feathered friend since remember, Ruby thinks feeding chickens is fun (according to the DC Comics).

But y’know, this is just me spouting ideas here as always. Take it or leave it.

Not saying we’ll get to see Return to Oz characters for V8. Nor am I saying Oscar will even have his own set of companions for his journey with Oz.

Still…it suuuuuuure would’ve GREAT to see Oscar riding through Solitas on the back of Sawhorse who is a badass-looking motorcycle in the RWBY-verse owned by Jack Pumkinhead who dutifully agrees to help the prince with his journey back to Atlas to reunite with his rose and their friends, alongside Klein Sieban and Bilinda the Baby Chick who is kind of Oscar’sversion of Zwei.

…I’m just saying…this could’ve been really, really, REALLY neat to see. But y’know. We’ll see what the CRWBY Writers actually have planned for Oscar for V8. Looking forward to it.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2020)

[carbootsoul]

i was tagged by @katarahairloopies!!! thank u :mwah:

name: leo! @/zeitgeistofnow on ao3, @lazypigeon & @timetohope on here, altho i’m considering uh switching back to not having an art blog :/ i have to think abt it.

fandom(s): ace attorney is my main one rn bc i’m replaying the games with a friend of mine and it’s reminding me how invested i am in the characters!! a lot of my recent fic is atla stuff, altho i’ve been distancing myself from the fandom bc i’ve kinda exhausted my interest in it. finally i’ve been reading a lot of mp100 fic but i don’t think i’ll ever write for it. i just love how dumb all the characters r (with the dubious exception of ritsu)

where you post: ao3!! tbh i always get suprised when people say they write/read fic on any other platform like i haven’t messed around w wattpad or ff.net since middle school... catch up........

most popular oneshot: going just by “one chapter” as the definition of a oneshot, the firestarters, bc it’s fluffy and modern au :) i wouldn’t necessarily call it a oneshot tho bc to me a oneshot shows like, one scene? so like by my definition and your sweet sweet sun makes me crazy (i wanna lay you down and see how you amaze me is my most popular!! (also @ kit u thought UR fic titles were unnecessarily long??? i’ve hit the ao3 LIMIT for characters in titles. it’s about the aesthetic

most popular multichapter fic: sdkjflakjlkj it’s two crowned kings; and one that stood alone, which is a w359 fic i wrote back in late 2017. it’s literally the last fic i haven’t orphaned from when i actually wrote podcast fic (i have 4 other podcast fics but they were all borne out of nostalgia and written after i stopped participating in the fandom). i rewrote all but the last chapter? the last two? about a year ago and i fucked up halfway through so like chapter 6 and 7 are repeated and there’s something missing but i’m too lazy to fix it. no one’s going to read it now anyway :) it WAS the top minlace fic for a little while tho which i take great pride in.

favorite story you’ve written so far: oh that’s a hard question akfsldkfj i honestly like most of them!! and i write a LOT so there’s a lot to choose from. tonight, we are young is def one of my favorites- it was fun to write and i got to explore the ways zuko and yue r similar, which i LOVE to do outside of a zukka/yukka view. you can lean on my arm as you break my heart  is one that i’m really proud of? the whole “cooking as an expression of bato’s love” is definitely some of my favorites. a lot of my ace attorney fics would be categoried as my favorites if i hadn’t improved, too, if that makes sense. like they’re no long my favorites because i can see where my writing is shitty and it bothers me, but if i had written them a month ago they’d be my favorite.

fic you were nervous to post: figures 1-5: killing gods def!! it’s a lot more purple-prose-y than most of my fics and it was also written before i’d kinda like emersed myself in the atla fandom so i didn’t have as good a grasp on the general understanding of zuko’s character as i do now. tbh it’s one i’m rly happy w tho!! i have a few people leave really nice comments on it and rereading them makes me really happy. also it was the start of me hating the position of fire lord and being at least passively anti-it in my fics.

how you choose your titles: they’re almost all song lyrics!! only 14 of my 50 words AREN’T song lyrics and about half of those are from before i started writing ace attorney fic lol. sometimes i go into a fic with a song in mind for the vibes and then i usually go with lyrics from that (like in ‘cuz we’re the greatest /they’ll hang us in the louvre), but otherwise i usually pick an artist i’ve been listening to and go through their songs until i find a lyric that fits. sometimes the lyric doesn’t even really fit the fic and i just chose it at random or because i searching up the word “fly” in my spotify library or whatever. honestly i like coming up with titles? i know a lot of fic writers hate it but being able to just use song lyrics is v soothing for me and while i know that most people won’t search out a song just bc it’s a fic title like.. seeing that the title of a fic is a hozier lyric does affect how i read it and i kinda like that.

do you outline? i outline my long form/multichaptered fics with varying strictness. usually anything over ~8k will have some kind of outline. sometimes i go into it with every single scene planned out, sometimes it’s just notes on the side of the google doc that say “it's about MORE family. about how it's not betraying your existing family to find more” and “scenes i want to include: [...]” and “vampires... ngl kinda hot.” i’m trying to outline super strictly less bc i’ve found it’s less fun? but i do try to keep a plot arc in mind. since most of my fics are more character-driven than plot-driven, that usually just means keeping track of what character development i want to happen or what is motiviating the characters. 

complete: um everything posted on ao3 i guess. also the MULTITUDE of orphaned fics out there asksfjldkj i always click ‘leave my pseud on’ so if u look up my username you see all of my fics and then a. lot of other ones.

in progress: - a fic titled ‘dad phoenix’ that is actually just a no DL-6 au with defense attorney miles edgeworth and single dad bartender phoenix where neither of them want to date for A While but phoenix gets wrapped up in one of miles’s cases. it’s about family. it’s about writing teenagers. it’s about the background franmaya which is ALWAYS what i’m here for in wrightworth fics - a franmaya werewolf/vampire au because i’m ~gay~ and love rivals to lovers and also franziska and maya both being angry their older brothers r dating each other. - my secret santa fic!! which i can’t talk about much but it does feature toph and zuko and also piandao and jeong jeong???? idk where they came from but they are Part Of The Fic Now also i forgot iroh existed for half the fic and wrote piandao as zuko’s father figure and now i’m in too deep. - a 5+1 bakoda fic (maybe a bato/hakoda/kay fic??? i need to decide. that’s part of why this fic is still incomplete bc i can’t decide which relationship dynamic i prefer) that’s 5 times bato said he loves hakoda and one time hakoda said it back. possibly i have already written him saying i love u back and i need to change the title a little. - retail au klapollo where klavier works at an overpriced boutique and apollo comes in to buy earrings for nahyuta’s birthday. klavier gives him a punch card (one that the store doesn’t actually offer anymore as a bid to get apollo to come back) and all of apollo’s family come in to use the punch card and also give klavier variations on the shovel talk/find out if he’s actually into apollo. - a LOT of atla fics that i don’t think i’ll ever finish :(

coming soon/not yet started:  - i want to write some blackmadhi bc they’re.. cute..... and it’s a good excuse to also write athena and i love her - my stuff for yueki week!!! i have NOT prepped enough but hopefully i’ll remember in time! i wrote the prompts in a way that kinda set up stuff i’ve already wanted to write (don’t look at me lol) so hopefully i’ll get at least two or three fics finished in time. - i want to rewrite the wrightworth fic i have about them not getting married bc it was interesting and i like what i wrote about but i think i could have written it better and made it more interesting. rewriting fics is hard tho bc i’m never sure if it makes sense to just edit in the new work or to repost it? and then if u repost it do u delete the old one? conflicting so i might just not

do you accept prompts? totally!!! a disclaimer tho i’m not super into writing atla stuff anymore (most of the atla stuff i’m still writing is  something i made a commitment to finish) so if your prompt is an atla one i probably won’t do it :/ basically anything else is fair game tho!! podcasts/aa/sa/uh i don’t remember anything else but like if you search a fandom on my blog and come up with more than two posts about it chances r i’d be happy to write fic for it!

upcoming work that you’re most excited about: oh huh i mean probably the no dl-6 au!!! it’s the longest ace attorney fic i’ve written already and since it’s wrightworth it’ll get more attention than any franmaya fic i write. my standards r so high now tho after getting to much feedback from atla fans... love u all... obviously i have no choice but to pressure my atla mutuals into playing ace attorney. pls ask abt it bc i WIll Give You A Sales Pitch about why you’d like it in relation to atla

tagging: i’m not rly tagging anyone!!! @deadflora if you still consider urself a fic writer also consider urself tagged! also any of my other mutuals who write fic i just can’t think of anyone rn

[writingfromalterspace]

The  Brilliance of Voltron

[SPOILER ALERT:  This article discusses the final series and the events of the last episode.]

The big question at the end of the eighth and last series is:  what did you think?  I’m surprised to find myself saying:  IT WAS BRILLIANT.  Yes, it was flawed.  No, this isn’t what I thought was going to happen.  And no doubt the fandom is up in arms and raging with trillions of theories and “should have beens” flying across the interweb.  Fortunately, I live in a universe of one (me) where virtually no opinions colour my thinking on anything, so I can say, without knowing what anyone else thinks:  I loved it.  It was bloody brilliant.  And it ended exactly how it was supposed to.

The two main aspects of the eighth series were the Lance/Allura relationship and Allura’s death.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and say:  it had to happen.  Both aspects HAD TO HAPPEN.  She had to have a relationship with Lance.  And she had to die.  No one wanted her to have a thing with Lance, least of all me.  The idea was put forward quite early on;  after all, Lance had a humongous crush on her from the moment he saw her.  But the idea of this rather young and immature guy with the extremely sophisticated, intelligent, powerful woman who was ten thousand years old (and counting) was just WRONG.

BUT!  The fact that it was wrong, meant it was perfect.  Wow, that’s going to be hard to explain!  For a start, the moment the relationship was established in the first episode, I realised she was going to die.  It was the Big Arrow:  the fact that their relationship was wrong indicated directly that she had to die.  They couldn’t be together forever.  There was no happy-ever-after for them.  Knowing she was going to die (and I promise, I knew NOTHING about this series when I started watching:  I go in with no spoilers at all, no knowledge, and no discussion with anyone) meant that I watched the entire series on edge:  when would she die.  How would she die.  How would this affect everyone.  How would this affect Lance.

Simply put, what we have here is a conflict in a relationship:  it was perfect and it was wrong.  How could it be both?  It was wrong, thus it signalled Allura’s death.  And it was perfect because of a little thing called STRENGTH.

Now I need to talk about Allura:  she was by far the strongest character, in every way, and also had the greatest strength of character.  She believed in the Paladins from the moment they arrived, before they even had a chance to believe in themselves.  She held them together.  She had knowledge.  She had power.  She was absolutely driven, too, and very focused on what needed to be done.  She had lost everything:  her family, her people, her planet.  She had nothing left and everything to live for.

ALLURA GAVE EVERYONE STRENGTH…….

……but who gave Allura strength?

Not Lotor.

Ah, Lotor.  Sigh.  Seriously hot.  Sexy voice.  God, he was yummy.  Please let me take a moment while I divert into fantasyland…….

Anyway, Lotor was the ideal partner for Allura.  Completely besides the fact that he was gorgeous, he was her equal in every way:  intelligent, educated, driven.  They talked the same language and they understood one another.  And they looked really good together.  The chemistry worked.  They worked.  It was an ideal match.  I wanted them to get married and have lots of babies all in different colours with white hair.  This was a couple that fulfilled my every romantic dream.  However, this would only have worked if Lotor was redeemed.  Just how he could be redeemed, I couldn’t imagine.  He had been broken by his godawful parents.  Was there any possibility of coming back from that kind of insanity?

Which leads me back to my question:  who was there to give Allura strength?  And the answer is:  Lance.  When she was broken after her foray into Honerva’s mind, who brought her back?  Who sat at her bedside and LOVED her?  Lance.  No one else could do it.  And THAT is why their relationship was perfect.  THAT is why it had to be:  SOMEONE had to give HER strength and that person had to be someone who offered her pure, innocent, devoted, whole-hearted love.  Someone who loved her utterly for who she was.  It was love that brought her back.  And however much I felt uncomfortable with their relationship, I could see it had to be.

It was also part of Lance’s story arc.

I want to look briefly at all the story arcs, because one thing that troubled me in the eighth series (and for the seventh as well) was that there was very little character development.  I only realised later, once I’d finished watching to the end, that the reason for this was because most of the character arcs had already finished.

Pidge:  Her story ended basically when she found her brother and father.  She was now complete as a person.

Hunk:  He didn’t have much of a story arc but it was completed right at the very end when he cooked for the diplomats, which was a really nice touch.

Shiro:  His story arc ended when he truly found himself, as it were, and became wholly himself (with that awful new arm that I really hated, but that’s another story).  He reached his pinnacle by running Atlas.  Before he’d been the leader of Voltron, but being the leader (captain or whatever) of Atlas, meant he was even more powerful.  So he had all the power he was going to get and didn’t need to develop much more.  I loved that he had a happy ending with a new partner:  as a character, he really suffered the most and deserved some joy.

Keith:  His story arc ended with his rescuing Shiro and finding his mother (not in that order, I don’t think!)  So as a person, he was complete before series eight and didn’t need more development.  I personally don’t think Keith was capable of a romantic relationship with anyone, boy or girl.  I think he is destined to be a lone wolf for the rest of his life.  His pinnacle was being able to lead Voltron:  this was Keith at his most powerful.  His friendship with Lance, I think, was extremely important, and I imagine he would always be there for Lance.  This was indicated in a scene towards the end and was a sign of his maturity.

Lance:  But no one matured more than Lance and we had to wait a long time to see that maturity.  He was silly and funny and excitable and jealous.  But he was also smart.  His perfect-but-wrong relationship with Allura gave him the maturity he lacked and I even wondered at one point:  who are you and what have you done with the real Lance?!  Not only did his chance to openly love the woman he had yearned for for so long make him grow up, he also actually grew a few inches and ended up taller than Keith!

So:  it was part of the crucial story arc that Lance reach maturity by having that relationship with Allura.  It was part of Allura’s story arc that she be given strength from someone who loved her because frankly, she was exhausted after giving up all her strength for everyone else.

And just because her death was signposted (to me, anyway, as I am a writer and have an understanding of story construction), doesn’t mean it wasn’t a shock.  The moment she said, “I’m not coming back,” I broke down and sobbed.  Her sacrifice was the right thing to do but it was still heart breaking.

More about that sacrifice:  why did it have to be Allura?  Because she was a goddess.  She may have been born a princess, but she grew into her godhood.  This was her story arc:  her attainment of power.  She became more and more powerful as the story developed until she was powerful enough not only to end Honerva but to REDEEM HER.

Before I do on, I want to make a note about the theme of Voltron.  To me, it was about strength.  Not just the characters and that whole “my robot is bigger than your robot” thing.  Behind every evil character was another evil character who was even stronger than the first.  But the strongest of all was Honerva.  She was, frankly, horrible.  But the more powerful she became, the more one pitied her because all she wanted was to be her little boy’s mother.  And there is no greater strength, if you can measure such a thing, than a mother’s love for her child.  Not all mothers.  Not always.  Not always in the right way.  And not all parents bond with their kids.  But if there is a bond, the pain when it breaks is truly terrifying.  And it was that pain and loss that drove Honerva.  It was that pain and loss that gave her the terrible strength to do what she did:  to tear through universes to find the right one where she could be a mother.

And – oh! – what a fantastic piece of writing!  THE IRONY!  When at last she found the perfect universe, when she found Lotor as a child, he REJECTED her because he was uncorrupted and pure and could see her for what she was.  The irony is that the only universe that produced an uncorrupted Lotor was the one in which Honerva had disappeared.  Honestly, even the Star Wars universe couldn’t produce an idea as good as this, as subtle, as complex, as brilliant.

So now it’s the end and we have the two most powerful beings in all the universes confront each other:  good vs evil.  I love that they were both women.  And I love that Allura showed her strength not by fighting, in the end, but by showing the greatest strength of all:  she helped to redeem Honerva.  And by redeeming Honerva, she also redeemed Lotor:  by recreating all the universes again in a new god-like big bang thing, it meant that that uncorrupted Lotor, in his universe, could grow up to be a good man, the one he wanted to be, the one I wanted him to be, the one Allura would have wanted him to be.  So he was redeemed after all.

Now who can truly offer redemption more completely than a god?  Or goddess?  Thus did Allura reach the level of godhood.  And gods and goddesses are, as we know, immortal.  So Allura isn’t dead.

She’s out there.  And she’s strong.

[ly0nstea]

90% of the reason azula stans have to repeat themselves is because azula anti's can't move on from either worshipping zuko as a do no wrong golden child and blaming her for everything that went wrong in zukos life, while never being critical of him whatsoever. Anyone who likes azula quite literally has to exist in the grey and not black and white to understand that you can do bad things and not be an irredeemable person. (especially when other characters do worse and are redeemed). Avatar doesn't challenge the viewer at all. It never once paints the fire nation in a good light, never challenges the morals of our protaganists meaningfully. At the end of the day Zuko and Aang are always proved right or justified. Katara's hatred of the FN is only confronted to the point of forgiving zuko personally, not actually confronting her biases critically. The only people in the FN who are deemed worth anything in the fire nation are zuko, and the children in the school (and even then that guy was villainised similarly to how the adults are). Even the least sympathetic WW2 films can acknowledge that the layperson of germany had nothing to do with the holocaust, yet avatar fails to make the realisation that not every FN citizen is bad. The Fire Nation, as a whole, is bad with very few exceptions. Until Zuko takes over, then it's suddenly good again, or so the show says. I don't see anyone here praise marvel movies for the plots? Very weird point to make but ok. Also, hating on marvel movies for being marvel movies a bad take, not every movie needs to have a thrilling plot or even much of a plot at all. Marvel movies are more character focused that narrative focused, a failure to recognise that is pretty odd for someone trying to claim a superiority in media literacy. Actually though, comparing a character to marvel is quite apt, seen as they are so character driven, you'd expect good arcs. (Tony's arc was literally the connecting thread in the infinity saga, spiderman trilogy was all about peter coming into his own as a confident superhero, etc.) Azula stans are not surface level at all. Literally the whole point of being a character stan is to deep dive into that character and explore their possibilities. It'd be very boring if you didn't and the fandom would die very quickly. Azula stans aren't trying to 'outsmart' bryke, theres no cunningness to it that outsmarting implies. It's merely poking holes in flawed plots, and, if you can't point out flaws in the material you enjoy, and think people that do are being anti's or toxic, then thats a problem with how you interact with media and how uncritical it is, pretty surface level. Enjoying 'basic' shows is fine. There's nothing wrong with watching a basic, run of the mill show like friends, it's a weird superiority complex to have that you watch 'more mature' or 'more complex' shows, like people who brag about reading the book before the movie came out. Sometimes it's nice to watch a movie that doesn't challenge you, sometimes your tired and want to watch something easy. Also, atla does very little trope subversion, it follows most if not all of the big ones. The main guy gets the girl, theres a last minute deus ex-machina, a classic 3 act structure. Nothing about ATLA's narrative structure is extraordinary. The only notable thing it did was set the standard for redemption arc's with zuko but that was nothing new.

TL;DE: Weird, oddly pretentious take, but ok.

It still disturbing me the fact that after all this years, already over decade now, there are still hard-core Azula-stans and zutara shippers with NEW posts with tags like Azula deserve better, Zuko critical, Iroh critical, Ursa critical, anti-Bryke, anti-Aang, anti-comics, anti-LOK, etc... where they just repeating old horrible arguments from over decades ago. Is there any other fandom where fans stay horrendously toxic for over decade because their ship didn't become canon or their favorite characters didn't get redemption arc?

I’m sure there are others but i find the hate for ATLA/LOK comes primarily from people who fundamentally cannot cope with stories that go outside of very specific tropes. When the cute girl doesn’t date the hot guy, it’s disastrous towards their understanding of the show. When a sympathetic character does something irredeemable, it totally destroys their brains. Things have to be black and white or they don’t get it.

You can see it a lot in what the people who are mad say they enjoy. A lot of them will say they enjoy some of the most basic, formulaic, run-of-the-mill shows/movies that don’t challenge the viewer at all. That’s not to gatekeep ATLA or anything because literal children are capable of understanding the show while these adults cannot. But when some doofus is claiming avatar fucked up a character while praising a D-tier Marvel movie it’s kind of clear where their story analysis skills stop.

The reason they stay mad is because they’re only able to focus on their surface level reaction rather than evaluating context, character arc, development, etc. If it requires anything beyond a passing thought it makes them angry, and they’re willing to spend more time defending their anger than trying to understand the show. Plus it has the side benefit of making themselves feel smart for “outsmarting” the writers.

[monotype-on-phantom]

what other cartoon do you like? are there any series that somehow remind you of DP, or, you'd think a DP fan would like?

I’m pretty sure I sold my soul to animation in a past life or something, so...I can probably name a few.

Gravity Falls is a favorite that I’d recommend to any fan of DP. It balances the creepiness and comedy in a way a lot of phans wish DP had, and the sense of humor is the type of thing I think someone who enjoyed DP would get a kick out of. There’s also a planned out mystery with a lot of clues about certain twists and such. I’m sure most DP fans have already checked it out, but I can’t not mention it.

Steven Universe is another one. Of course, these two are probably the first recommendations from people these days, but y’know. The shows are completely different outside of a good-natures, 14-year-old half-human protagonist, but since a lot of people in this fandom like character driven narratives, you can’t do much better than SU.

Kim Possible. I used to watch this show alongside DP a lot, and I couldn’t help but notice all the similarities between the two in terms of setup, plot points, and even individual episodes. The shows execute those ideas very differently, but that’s part of what makes it fun.

Basically anything from the DCAU. I don’t actually watch many cartoons about superheroes. I have to be in the right mood for it. When I’m in those moods, though, Batman TAS, Teen Titans, or others can pretty easily scratch my itch for an interesting plot and compelling characters.

I don’t watch as many Marvel cartoons, but X-Men Evolution is fantastic. I always found the lore behind X-Men too confusing to get into, so I could never really enjoy the franchise before. X-Men Evolution does a great job of standing on its own, and it also keeps things in a high school setting. So if you want high school kids trying to keep their powers a secret from their peers and later having to deal with discrimination, this is a good one to check out.

I feel like I should also throw American Dragon: Jake Long out there. I was never able to finish the show because of a few things that bugged me, but it’s one of those “secret keepers” shows, and the setup for the main love interest is kinda similar to Danny and Valerie’s relationship, so some Gray Ghost shippers might enjoy that. I know a lot of DP fans also enjoy Ben 10, too. Never watched that one much, but it’s worth throwing out there.

My Life as a Teenage Robot was really good from what I remember. I haven’t watched it in forever, but it’s really underrated, so I feel like it deserves a recommendation.

Aside from that, I also really enjoy the Total Drama franchise, ATLA, and PBS’s animated adaptation of the Redwall books (laugh if you must, but I friggin’ love that show). Those are all shows that might be good for a DP fan to watch, too (TD has a similar art style and a lot of characters who could fit in a slightly less kid-friendly DP universe, Redwall’s really interesting and takes itself pretty seriously, and ATLA is ATLA and I don’t need to say any more than that.) They’re not the first ones that come to mind, though.

There are also some cartoons that look good for DP fans, but I haven’t been able to watch yet for whatever reason. I also watch a crap ton of anime, and if anyone’s interested in going that route, both versions of FullMetal Alchemist are amazing.

Hopefully that’s an okay list. I could probably go on because most of my time is spent watching and talking about cartoons, but I don’t want to clog up everyone’s dashboard too much.

[saltyace-defunct]

A (Somewhat) In Depth Analysis On Why (And How) Danny Phantom Should Go Ghost Again

Part One - Three Possibilities

There are three possibilities as to what is going on with all the hype surrounding the return of Danny Phantom, and these can be simplified as the “good,” the “bad,” and the “ugly.”

The good option, which I personally believe is the least likely, is that Nickelodeon HAS greenlit a fourth season, and we just don't know about it yet because it's so early in production. If this is the case then we probably won't see any news or promos until at least 2018, seeing as how the hype train really got its start around August 24, 2016, when Butch uploaded a video called “Danny Phantom 10 Years Later” and the green light would have happened not long after that. Again, this seems extremely unlikely, but if it's true, then Butch has been doing a good job building up hype while keeping it a secret.

The bad option, which will be the main focus of this post (and also isn’t so bad), is that as much as Butch wants to bring the show back, Nickelodeon isn’t so keen on the idea, and that's why he’s turned to the fandom to build up hype, and THEN maybe Nick will listen.

The ugly option is… Well, it’s ugly. I hate that this is even a possibility, but as I’ve stated before, the good option is the least likely, making this one a decent possibility. Maybe there are no plans to #goghostagain at all, and the hype is all just a ploy to rake in the views and attention. Maybe it's all just one big promotion for Bunsen Is A Beast (which by the way I think is a sub-par show, but I'll get to that later). It’s disappointing to think about, but if it is the case, then here's what I have to say: Butch, you are better than this. If you aren't serious about this, then don't go around trying to get people excited for something that doesn't exist. Please and thank you.

Part Two - Forget The Hype

I wouldn't be surprised or upset if nothing ever came out of all this hype, but since we’ve come this far we might as well take the extra step to convince Nickelodeon this is a good idea. Of course, there's not a whole lot the fans can do to sway the opinions of the executives, and at this rate we’re DEFINITELY not going anywhere. Most of what I've seen has been “I love this show so you should bring it back” with no other reasoning. It's all based on pathos with little to no logos or ethos, and that's what I'm hoping to make up for with this analysis. There are plenty of reasons for Danny Phantom to get a fourth season, it's just a matter of letting them be heard through the multitude of YouTube videos saying “Look, Butch said this one thing this one time!! Season 4 confirmed!!!! I am so HYYYPE!!!1!!!!1!”

Part Three - The Passage Of Time

Like many good shows, it ended too early. Apparently the ratings were a bit too low for Nick’s liking, so they told Butch to find a way to end it. (I don't have a very good source, so if you can find one with real numbers and add it in, that would be great.) This is a common trend. Good shows don't get the advertising and promotion they deserve because the network wants to spend more time on their cash cows like SpongeBob and Teen Titans Go, and then the good shows get cancelled because, “Well no one was watching it, so it's not worth keeping, right?” Then, as the years go by, more and more people find the show and say “Why was it cancelled? It’s so good!” The good news here is that if an old show comes back with a much larger and stronger fanbase, it will do really well! Unfortunately there is one problem with the way the fans will probably watch it, and that is the internet. After watching the original episodes online, that's the way they’re probably going to expect to continue watching them. This was a HUGE problem with The Legend Of Korra! (Again, source needed) So I guess this is more of a message to the fans than the executives: Watch the show on the TV, or AT LEAST set it to record!

Another problem that The Legend Of Korra had (it's really only a problem in the eyes of the execs) is that the audience was mostly adults and older teens. You know, the people who either 1) Where the same people who originally watched The Last Airbender and are now a bit older, 2) Were old enough to use the internet in a way that allowed them to find ATLA in the first place, or 3) Are the type of people who enjoy more in-depth, plot-driven, mature-themed shows. I think that the third option is what networks like Nick, CN, and Disney are most afraid of when it comes to choosing which shows to pick up and air. These channels are supposed to be for kids, right? Well, first of all, these networks are wrong to think that kids can't enjoy more complex shows than SpongeBob or that the most important thing in determining a show's worth is how much money it brings in, but I digress. Instead, I’d like to talk about how Nickelodeon SHOULDN'T worry about having a repeat of TLOK if they were to continue Danny Phantom.

Part Four - Plot And Audience

Unlike the Avatar series, which were extremely plot-driven and weren’t afraid to get a bit dark, Danny Phantom is a lot more episodic in nature. Now, if it were too episodic, then I probably wouldn't be arguing for it to come back. I mean, I love My Life As A Teenage Robot, but there’s no real reason for it to come back other than the usual “This is one of my favorite childhood shows! Why did it have to end?” You see, Danny Phantom had a nice balance of episodic plot vs overall plot that made for a great show for kids and teens alike. If it were to come back using the original formula, it would probably do really well with the “intended” audience of preteens. Hardcore fans (the ones who have been begging for a fourth season ever since it ended) might have mixed reactions, though. It all depends on the direction the show goes.

Again, the original formula will work, but what exactly should the plot be? Should there be a time skip or not? These are all questions that I’ll talk a little bit more about later, but ultimately can not answer. The biggest question that I CAN answer, though, is should it cater more towards the new preteens audience or the older, hardcore fans? The answer is a resounding “HARDCORE FANS!!!” We KNOW there are plenty of things that were planned that didn't make it in, and we want to see them happen in a way that satisfies our nostalgia and our (slightly) older tastes. I personally think that even though the episodic nature works from a business standpoint, this continuation should have just a little bit more of an overarching plot. Just a little bit.

Part Five - Butch’s Other Shows

I don't want to dwell on this topic too long, but it's important enough that it's worth mentioning.

Fairly Odd Parents: To put it bluntly, it's dying. We could talk about how Sparky and Chloe are terrible characters, but there's no point because the whole show has been moved to NickToons. It's the channel where Nickelodeon shows go to die, and as unfortunate as it is that FOP has been drawn out to the point that the original fans don't like it anymore, soon enough it will get low enough ratings that it will finally be cancelled. Rip

TUFF Puppy: I didn't really watch this show, but from what I've seen and heard, it's not that great. I mean, it's not horrible, but it just doesn't have a whole lot going for it that makes it worthwhile to talk about. It ended in 2015, so whatever.

Bunsen Is A Beast: This is another show that I haven't seen a whole lot of, and I don't really want to. I feel that even though it has a good message of being inclusive and stuff, it doesn't really go about it in a unique way. You know what show has a similar setup of a character from another dimension going to a human school but is actually good? Star vs the Forces of Evil. I know I'm not the intended audience for Bunsen, so I'm not really in a position to complain, but between it's obnoxious loudness, ugly characters, and seemingly random-for-the-sake-of-random humor, it isn't as good as it could be. Don't get me wrong, I respect Butch for trying new character styles and whatnot, but it just isn't working.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that there IS room for Danny Phantom to return. FOP is dying and it wouldn't hurt for Bunsen to die off as well. Good programing is what we should be after, not money makers.

Part Six - Questions And Suggestions

This is the part where I re-introduce the hype and fangirling. It’s not part of the main message that the show should come back, but it is important for the follow up question of how. So here are some important questions for Butch. *Takes a deep breath*

How will season 4 go? What’s the plot? Is it gonna pick up where it left off or will there be a time skip? How big of a time skip will it be? Will the intro be the same or will it be something new? What, if anything, will be retconned? What new characters will be introduced? When and how will Vlad return from space? Did Vlad meet Wheatley? Will Dark Danny make a return? Is Danielle gonna be adopted by the Fentons like you said? How are you gonna make up for the fact that the technology is so outdated? What about the Unworld and the Elsewhereness? What is the meaning of the universe??? *Incoherent screaming*

…I might have gotten a bit carried away just then.

Well, time to answer some of my own questions. I think that a decent sized time skip would be a great way to have the characters age with the show’s original audience, and it would also avoid any weirdness with the outdated technology. I’m not sure how big it should be, but 10 years does seem like a good benchmark number. If there is a time skip, this could also be a convenient excuse to brush over a lot of nothingness and say “It took Vlad [this long] to find a way to return, and now, after a long time of peace and quiet, the main antagonist is back to wreak some havoc.” Maybe the first episode of the new season could be a recap and summary of everything that happened between seasons 3 and 4, including an introduction to the new plot. There should be little to no retconning because this is a continuation, not a reboot. If something small needs to be changed to help the overall flow of the story, then so be it, but don’t go erasing the entire last episode just so Danny’s powers are still a secret or something like that. There should definitely be a new intro and theme song that are more related to the new story, even if there isn’t a time skip. The overarching plot should heavily focus on that Elsewhereness stuff mentioned in the video “Secrets of the Ghost Zone Revealed” and somehow include the conflict of ending up in the Unworld. As far as new characters go, I would much prefer to see older characters more in depth, but a few new villains couldn’t hurt. Dark Danny NEEDS to return because he’s my favorite character of all the one-off villains, he’s the only one with an entire two-part episode dedicated to him that basically ended with the promise of his return that never got the chance to happen. I only mention this guy above all the other villains because he’s my fave he is literally an alternate version of the main character. And if there is a 10 year time skip, then that would make Danny the same age as his evil counterpart and--

You know what? I could go on about this hours, but this post is already long enough as is, and I don’t want to turn it into a fanfiction. I think I’m going to leave this here for now and allow all of you to add on to it as you wish.

Part Seven - Sources???

    I’m really bad at including sources, so if any of you can find good and relevant ones for me, that’d be great. Just reblog this post and add them along with any other comments or theories you have related to the return of Danny Phantom. Let’s make this one big cluster of ideas, and hopefully we will one day see that our efforts have paid off.

[todokori-kun]

UGH.

Basically what I was trying to say:

That pic reminds me of most of the weird twincest things I’ve ever seen

Give us the Uta/Itori child. While you’re at it, bring Tatara back and give us a Tatara/Eto child. The fandom would explode

What do you mean Undertaker wasn’t always hot

(seriously tho idk why but I always thought UT was meant to be attractive in his own way. Something about his design…)

I can’t wait to see those two interact…btw, am I the only one who feels confused about what’s going to happen in Kuro now? Because I feel like the death of one or both of the twins and them getting some ‘closure’ about everything that’s happened is going to be a big part of the ending, but since Real Ciel is here now, will this arc be the last? Or will their big 'confrontation’ be pushed into another arc, Real Ciel either running away in this arc or Our Ciel being chased out of his own home (doubt that’s going to happen because of Sebastian, but who knows what tricks Real Ciel has up his sleeve).

Guess we agree in the end ^^ and don’t worry, you didn’t come off that way! :) It’s all good~

I honestly think using stuff like rape and trauma for drama in backstories is really offensive and hurtful to people who have gone through things like that in real life.

AWWW TYSM <3333 I basically did a huge OC info-dump over the last few days and you’ve been so nice about it ;-; *hugs*

Well, the Smiling Titan is very creepy…and the Female Titan can be pretty terrifying. But yeah, for the most part I feel like titan designs are a mix between horrifying and grotesquely amusing. They’re hilarious, really XD

(Of course if I saw one in real life I’d be too busy screaming in fear to laugh, but hey. I’m protected by the fourth wall, might as well make fun of them)

I’m glad you enjoyed it! Which songs/lyrics made you cry the most? :) (Ultraviolence made me die a little on the inside)

Welp,,,, Twincest always freaked me out.

Oh wow, a Tatara/Eto child would certainly be interesting! Like, damn. Just how powerful would that child be? While we’re at it, Noro/Eto kid.

I mean, it’s a general rule in anime that hair covering eyes= hot person, but I didn’t know UT would be that hot...  The Book of Atlantic was an eye-opener (huehuehue) for me. Too bad I haven’t gotten the chance to watch the movie yet.

I’m very excited to see how the series will progress now... I mean, having 2 Ciels will surely make it more interesting. And what dies Real Ciel have to say about everything? Is he upset with Our Ciel (it seems like the answer it yes, judging from the panels we got). Does Real Ciel have his own demon? What about Soma? He knows who the attacker(s) are and it’s most likely Real Ciel, but he doesn’t know about his existence, meaning he blames Our Ciel. AND LIZZY?? WHAT ABOUT LIZZY??? I still want her to marry Our Ciel, even though  she was engaged to Real Ciel before.  I can’t wait to see all this get answered ^^ I just hope this arc isn’t the last

Yep, that’s a relief ^^

In my opinion, you do not add trauma to the backstory if it doesn’t directly serve to developing the character (without making them a revenge-driven machine) and even if you do, you have to be very careful about what you add. As far as I’m concerned, rape shouldn’t be added in any case. Most people don’t know enough about the consequences and, therefore, by writing it you’re potentially erasing what people go through in real life after it happens to them. Aaaand I just did another huge dump about OCs. Goddamnit.

No worries, I really like your OCs ^^

I mean, if I saw a titan irl, I’d run away screaming like every other sane person, but behind the screen they are quite funny. Especially when they run. I loose my shit if titans start running.

All of them :)))

I recently realised I actually heard Wait For It even before listening to Ham, in an AMV for ATLA!  How did I realise that? Someone I follow reblogged a post about ATLA and I was like ‘Hey, I haven’t been in touch with this fandom for a long time.’ Inner me replied ‘Browse the tag until 2am’. So i did. And found it.

Also, this is the last time you’ll hear from me for 2 weeks ^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; I’m going to a summer camp tomorrow and since mobile phones aren’t allowed there, I’ll be away till the 8th... So, uh, I’ll message you when I get back? 

[waywardavatarenthusiast]

Exactly this. @irresistible-revolution if you want to talk about the other girls in this story, I can tell you about how Azula’s character is still an example of harmful narratives for Asian girls in comparison to their stories.

The Kyoshi Warriors-Exactly what Ultranos said. These girls actually never fought against the Fire Nation as a whole. They had a run in with Zuko once, and a run in with Azula once. More importantly, they do not have real identities...neither does Suki. Let’s talk about her.

Suki-She’s kind, she’s strong, andddd that’s all. Normally I would attribute our lack of knowledge about her would be because she didn’t have that much screen time. But her character isn’t unexplored. It’s inconsistent. In fact, it’s inconsistent around Sokka. When she is without Sokka, Suki is seemingly very skilled at what she does. But Sokka comes around and she is a damsel in distress. Although, this could all be attributed to the fact that Suki was only made to be in one episode.

Ty Lee-If the lesson from Ty Lee’s story was supposed to be her helping a war torn village then she would have went on her own and helped a war torn village. Her joining the Kyoshi warriors was exactly a reference to her disdain over her lack of individuality. There is even a comic for Ty Lee in which she ends up learning basically that there is comfort in numbers. To further this point, if Ty Lee joined the Kyoshi warriors to help Kyoshi, how did she end up as Zuko’s body guard?? What I got from that story was ‘shut up about it and be happy with your circumstances’.

Yue- Yes, Yue, the indigenous woman, sacrifices herself because of the colonizing country. Yue and Azula hold several parallels. They are princesses who were forced into certain roles and must put their country before themselves. Azula was supposed to have an arranged marriage in Book 3. Note that.

Mai- I don’t understand what isn’t clear about her story. She risked everything for Zuko, a boy. Her “redemption” (it really wasn’t a redemption) was driven for her need to protect a male. It’s not only an Asian stereotype. It’s a stereotype of misogyny moreso. Also, no. The fandom doesn’t hate Mai more than Azula. There are people who are trying to justify their ship. Mai isn’t attacked with abelist slurs and gruesome fantasies about what Azula “really deserved”. 

Katara-Oh, I’d love to talk about this one. This is exactly. The point. Azula and Katara share many traits but not how they treat others. Katara gives and gives and all her friends describe her as “motherly”. Azula, actually doesn’t take from others(I mean on a day to day basis not war people). But she does not give what’s hers or what she doesn’t have to. Katara, has so many more feminine scenes. So what I’m getting is in the end, the woman who works for herself must ultimately be defeated by the woman who works for others. 

But here’s the nail in the coffin. Yes. Katara defeated Azula. But on every site, in every canon book, what does it say? It says that Zuko defeated her. Zuko was writhing on the ground, but it is him who is credited in all media for defeating his sister. You know what they say, behind every great man is a strong woman.

I like the theme that isolating yourself and following a bad influence leads to destruction. But it’s never even hinted at. The closest we get is the mirror scene, which is literally part of the series finale. Who knows, maybe it’s just bad writing.

So, what I got from your post is this: All of the girls in atla have in some way been used to service the character of males. Every other girl in the show gets a somewhat happy ending because they can. For Azula to get a happy ending that makes sense, rugs need to be lifted, skeletons need to be cleaned out of closets, and like a house of cards, moving Azula’s card will make the whole thing crumble.

In the avatar world, boys get to be boys. But girls must be women.

I’m gonna try asking this again. This time, I hope nobody derails right out of the gate.

Why are so many people in ATLA fandom committed to believing in Azula the war criminal but not Azula the child soldier?

Since it needs to be said, I am not interested in debating the moral culpability of a fictional teenaged girl from a make-believe country for the fictional actions that fallible men wrote for her.

So, I am not asking, and I’m done talking about:

Are Azula’s actions harmful? Are they justified? Are they excusable?

Is she victim, perpetrator, or both?

Are her attitudes and beliefs appropriate?

Does she deserve redemption, forgiveness, or absolution?

I am interested in talking about general fandom trends and why so many people in ATLA fandom are so adamant about “war criminal” as a more apt descriptor for her than “child soldier,” especially in light of what each of them means on a purely technical basis.

@idreamtofmanderleyagain, @ultranos, @likeabxrdinflight: thoughts?

[benperorsolo]

Don't do the first one I messed up lmao okay so heisaki and zutara for 001, ben solo for 002 and for 003 zuko, aang, sokka, katara, toph

001. (heisaki)

when I started shipping it if I did:

I honestly don’t even remember. I usually don’t start shipping couples as I watch a show, but after when I’m looking for fanfic to distract me from my schoolwork. So sometime after finishing S1.

my thoughts:

Heisaki pretty much caters to every grossly trash thing I like in ships: enemies to lovers, preferably with some kickass woman and some super-evil looking masked dude with Secret Depths and Softness™ (I know I’m garbage okay I’ve made my peace), where Sad Angry Scary Dude is shown affection from someone who believes in their goodness more than they’re disgusted by their evil, and Strong But Soft Woman discovers tenderness and support in the unlikeliest of  places.

What makes me happy about them:

All of the above, and also the way they cycle through various identities with each other in canon, the way canon teases them as people who would make an amazing team if they weren’t pawns for organizations bigger than themselves. The way both of them are uncompromising in their work but have secret private vulnerabilities. The way both of them love the stars. 

What makes me sad about them:

The way canon bastardized Misaki in the second season into being obsessed with catching Hei because of her weird unresolved feelings for him. But not in a cool or respectful way; just in a way that made Misaki into a lovesick waif whose personality completely went out the window. 

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

Mostly when Hei becomes to emotional or emotionally honest with Misaki without a lot of buildup, considering he’s been emotionally constipated for going on a decade now and for reasons that involved not dying. Likewise when Misaki turns into a damsel to be saved.

things I look for in fanfic:

Some sort of clear ideological friction between the two of them; Misaki’s discovery of the Black Reaper’s identity and/or interacting with the Black Reaper in person. 

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

No one? Hei’s other options are Amber, a ship which I find interesting as something in Hei’s past but not one I would endgame bc abusive, and Yin, who is mentally basically a child and it feels like pedophilia.

My happily ever after for them:

Haaaa the grossly indulgent Office AU. Hei becomes a contractor working with Section 4, develops a little friend/family unit with Section 4 and astronomics; he and Misaki get married; Hei reconnects with his family in China; Hei and Misaki have a little girl named Seiko and it’s gr9. Everything is beautiful and occasionally hurts but never, y’know, forever.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Hei, probably. But it could vary. They’re just about equal in height so there’s no reason one should be the big spoon over the other.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

Stargazing.

001. zutara

when I started shipping it if I did:

Don’t even remember. Sometime after finishing Book 3, I think. 

my thoughts:

Gold standard ship. The ship I keep shipping in other fandoms, just in different iterations. The ying-yang, ‘you rise with the moon, I rise with the sun’ way they complement each other, and yet at their cores are so similar: highly driven, compassionate, passionate people who are proven in battle to make a great team.

What makes me happy about them:

The way their relationship beautifully unfolded over three seasons of mortal enemies, to maybe-allies (and then would-be-ally and traitor), to allies and friends. The way each season of ATLA ends with a fight between them; the first two against each other, and the last one with each other. The way they are safe places for the other— Katara confiding to him in the crystal caves, and again about her mother in Southern Raiders; Zuko confiding to Katara about his fear of facing his uncle, and Katara’s reassurance, and then the way Zuko took Katara with her to fight Azula because he knew he needed a steadfast ally he could trust.

What makes me sad about them:

The way Bryke have insulted the ship over the years, calling it too ‘dark and mysterious’ for Nick, but then fucked up all of the canon relationships in ATLA by having their kids have extremely dysfunctional relationships with their parents, or just making the relationships straight-up dysfunctional coughMaikocough 

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

When Katara gets the Mary Sue Strong Independent Woman treatment, or when she becomes some helpless crying waif (usually Book 1 kidnapping fics, which can be good, okay, they can), and likewise when Zuko post-redemption is still a jerkass. I mean he can still be a jerk, but he’s not a jerkass.

things I look for in fanfic:

I’ll read almost anything. I like S1 fic (typically Zuko captures Katara, and Katara takes none of his shit, and then TEAMWORK HAPPENS), s2 fic where crotchety I-once-did-something-good-and-gave-myself-a-coma Zuko and Katara are forced to work together in lovehate, and post-s3 Western Air Temple fics where Zuko has to earn Katara’s forgiveness. 

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

No one lmao. I’m not a multishipper.

My happily ever after for them:

Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Katara rule the Fire Nation in peace and harmony and are happy, the end.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Zuko’s the big spoon.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

Sparring.

002. Ben Solo

How I feel about this character:

ALL THE THINGS. I LOVE MY BOYFRIENDSON BEN SKYWALKER-ORGANA-SOLO.

More seriously— I love how he’s desperate for villainy, and yet cannot achieve it no matter how hard he tries. I love that this is a character who has to pray away the Light within him. I love how even after killing his father, the Light still won’t go away. I love that he is the beloved son of one of the most loved couples in cinematic history, related in a significant way to almost everyone in the prequels, OT, and sequels. I love that he effectively flips the conflict of the original films, wherein the fallen father is saved by the goodness of his son, and now it is the fallen son who will be saved (mark my words) by his father. I love the angst inherent in watching this character, who was practically born to be a hero, do everything he can to shirk his destiny and ensure his Darkness, and yet fall short. And most of all, I love the possibility (inevitability) of his redemption. I love the idea of getting to explore what redemption looks like when you don’t die before its completion, like Anakin. I love the idea of Ben realizing that his father did save him after all; of getting to smile at his uncle again;  of getting to hug his mother again; of it hurting so much— the hurt of a healing wound, at last, and not the hurt of the Dark Side. Of Ben getting to reclaim the person he might have been, had Snoke and misfortune and his own hamartia not found him, so that he no longer has to hide behind a false name and a mask, but can finally as himself face the sun, unafraid. Ben Solo means a lot to me. Maybe the hypotheticals of his character more than what we have now. But I honestly think that my strange compassion for this fake person has made me a better person. Because, if I can sit here and rail for his redemption no matter his sins— then what excuse do I have not to try to become a better person myself?

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Rey the bae all the way.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

BenPoe/Knightpilot, especially involving them as childhood friends, and Poe having to come to terms with Ben, who he was, and who he is, after Ben defects back to the Resistance. Some of my favorite character pieces to this end are This Thing of Darkness I Acknowledge Mine and Orbital Period. Also the BenPoe fandom are pretty much the nicest people ever?

My unpopular opinion about this character:

The fact that I like him is probably an unpopular opinion. 

Okay okay my real unpopular opinion (ESSAY AHOY) is my insistence of Kylo Ren’s true name still being Ben Solo (ofc you know this is a thing with me bc you very diplomatically asked me to talk about ‘Ben Solo’ and not ‘Kylo Ren’ in your ask lmao, and you know I call him ‘Ben’ just like I call Vader ‘Anakin’— practically always, in both cases, because it’s for the same reason). Kylo Ren is a shadow archetype, an alter ego, a mask and a costume— the thing Ben is trying desperately to become and yet never will, not only because he failed so horribly at being a proper villain in TFA (going for Rey instead of the droid; not torturing the bejeezus out of Rey immediately; feeling immediate regret after killing his father, not pushing Rey off a cliff during their fight when he had the chance, and then losing to her), but because it’s just how Star Wars works. It’s the same with Anakin and Vader— as Luke says to Vader in ROTJ, ‘[Anakin] is the name of your true self; you’ve only just forgotten,’ and ultimately Luke is proven right. Throughout canon, the Dark Side is depicted as a corruption of your true self; a warping of who you really are. Your Dark Side is not your authentic self, it’s a gross imitation, and whatever you call yourself under the thrall of the Dark Side is not your true name either. This is how it functioned for Anakin/Vader in the OT; and how it was for Galen Marek/Starkiller in the EU. Your Dark Side name is your slave name. It’s just another mask; a type of verbal disassociation— another way to remove yourself from the reality of what you’re really doing and what you have become. There is also the gross, skeevy observation that Anakin was given the name Vader by Palpatine, the creep who groomed him, and it’s not a difficult leap to assume that Snoke, the creep who groomed Ben in utero, gave Ben the name Kylo Ren. It is canon that Snoke has forbidden the name ‘Ben Solo’ to be spoken by anyone in the First Order, including Ben. But who the hell knows that Kylo Ren is Ben? It’s treated as an extreme secret, and currently I’d say the number is limited to Snoke, Hux, and Ben himself. So who is Snoke really forbidding from saying the name Ben Solo? Ben. He’s forbidding Ben. He’s giving Ben a gag order on his own name— which should immediately ring your bells as being sketchy AF for OBVIOUS REASONS, including but not limited to the fact that you only forbid people from doing things you know they are in danger of doing. If Ben were really completely dead, if he were really Kylo Ren all the way down, then what is Snoke afraid of? All of this to say, it annoys the everlasting and eternal fuck out of me when I see fics or headcanons where a redeemed Ben does not go back to that name, because then to me it represents a person who is still hiding behind the verbal equivalent of a mask. It would be like a redeemed Anakin still going by the name Darth Vader. It’s watching a man stand by the name of his abuse. It stands in literal opposition of everything a true redemption symbolizes, especially in Star Wars, and it’s gross gross gross I hate it.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

A REDEMPTION ARC BITCHESSS

my OTP:

Reylo. Okay technically Reyben. But yeah. More recently I’ve become obsessed with the idea of them as parents, because it would be such a beautiful capstone for them both. Rey, lonely, orphan Rey, finally having a family of her own. Rey being terrified of motherhood, because she can’t even remember her mother. Rey feeling that fierce, wolfish upwelling of maternal protectiveness for the first time and knowing she wouldn’t trade it for the world. Ben, terrified of making the mistakes his parents made with him; Ben, terrified of his past poisoning his children’s future. Ben, now a father, realizing the sort of unbreakable love that let his own father walk out on that bridge knowing he might die, and still taking the chance on his child. Ben, looking at the bundle in his arms and knowing he’d do the same. asdfghjkl;

my cross over ship:

Ben Solo x happiness, probably. I know it’s a wild concept.

a headcanon fact:

Ben is naturally good at pazaak and other gambling/card games. It’s one of the few roguish/smugglerish things he has in common with Han. Poe, Finn, and Rey always accuse him of using the Force to cheat, but he never does. During sessions of strip Pazaak (Poe’s idea), Poe, Finn, and Rey will be almost completely naked while Ben sits across the table fully clothed.

003. zuko, aang, katara, sokka, toph

1. zuko

2. aang

3. katara (tied w/ aang but just for overall character arc aang’s affects me more powerfully)

4. sokka

5. toph

[seyaryminamoto]

May I ask, why does Azula make you passionate? Not a lot of people has the capability to empathize (NOT sympathize) with the antagonists, or a lot don't have the power to share or sense clearly their thoughts and feelings (for many reasons) as they do with the protagonists. Most people are mersiless toward them, even if they were understandable.

Uh, well, if you want the very honest answer? I saw myself in her. But if you want an in-depth answer, click the Read More.

I didn’t mean to, no. I didn’t go looking for myself in her character, I was uneasy about her, even somewhat worried, in her first episodes. She had been characterized very deliberately as colder, more scheming, more efficient than her brother or Zhao, the only Fire Nation villains we knew so far. She hadn’t quite succeeded at anything yet, but there was no tantrum after her failures, no self-pitying act: she simply kept going relentlessly. 

She wouldn’t stop at anything, and after watching her convince Mai so easily that her brother wasn’t worth trading over a king, it’s kind of natural to wonder if she’s really devoid of a conscience… No lie, though, it also reflects heavily on Mai that she agreed so easily. It especially looks like Mai has less of a conscience than Azula, since it’s her brother we’re talking about, and it doesn’t really look like she was scared of contradicting Azula: she had only ever complained about her family ever since she showed up on-screen. In short, I thought they were all weird and mean and morally incorrect! :’D

But I have had a penchant to grow interested in characters who are strong, who are driven to the ends of the earth. I used to think I favored tsundere-types of female characters back when I was in my anime-heavy phase, but soon enough I realized that wasn’t quite right: I was interested in female leaders instead, characters who were often tsundere because they bury their feelings deep down, because their main interests are professional, or academic… basically, they were ambitious people who sometimes went too far in dragging others into stuff they hadn’t signed up for (Ritsu Tainaka, Haruhi Suzumiya, Misaki Ayuzawa, Kyoko Mogami, Natsumi Tsujimoto, and so on…).

Basically, I’ve been appealed by characters who share Azula’s reckless determination, but when I approached Avatar I had also moved on mostly from anime, and I found myself, instead, writing an original story where my protagonist was a princess, hailing from a western nation she was supposed to rule one day. This princess was very determined, physically powerful to the point of being beyond human (then again, she was a literal descendant from gods :’D), with a terrible relationship with her family (in particular fighting with an older half-brother who wants to prove he’s more suitable for the throne than her). Said girl’s priority, first and foremost, is her nation, and she’s willing to go to whatever means she must in order to protect it (even resort to magic, which is frowned upon in her nation of warriors).

Now, after I exposed that character’s main traits to you, don’t you think there’s a few too many similarities with Azula? :’D yep, I thought so too as I continued watching ATLA. Tbh it freaked me out how similar they actually were, since I hadn’t watched the show or been influenced by it at all. I didn’t even know Azula existed!

Anyways! I’ve gone off the rails a bit, but back on track: why did I identify with Azula?

First off, I did start getting the feeling she was similar to those characters I loved, despite she was, obviously, meant to be a villain. But what REALLY did it for me?

It was the scene in Zuko Alone, when Iroh’s gifts arrive. Azula’s dear brother gets something mind-blowing while she gets something pathetic, generic, that someone assumed was going to please her because she’s a girl. Because girls like dolls, right?

Well, in my case, I got play make-up instead. I had a trauma with make-up since age 4, and if people had bothered knowing me, or even talking with my mom about me, they would have known that. They didn’t. It didn’t matter to them either way. Meanwhile, my brother’s gifts were incredible! :’D all sorts of action toys, new Hot Wheels, even remote-controlled cars. And when I wanted to play with them? I got a big ole’ NO from him, along with my parents telling me, often, that the toys were his and that I should let him play instead.

Heck, there was this one time he got this ship-in-a-bottle crafts as a present for his birthday from someone who worked at MY school. When I asked where was mine? Oh, there wasn’t one. My birthday was the day before my brother’s, the guy who made it worked at MY SCHOOL, but he would make a gift of the sort for my brother and not for me. I don’t remember if he even lied saying he’d make one, but fact of the matter is, I never got a handcrafted, special boat-in-a-bottle with my name on it. He did.

Let’s just say… when I saw Azula getting that disappointing doll while Zuko got the incredible knife, my jaw dropped. I literally dropped all my defenses against her along with my jaw, too. I saw that and damn, it put her character in a completely different perspective for me: it made her REAL, her experience with her brother resembled mine so much that I was in genuine shock. The salty “You’re not even good!” comment when he was playing with the knife, spoken with the intent to mask her interest in the weapon and her jealousy? The way she takes the knife later too, smirking and teasing her brother, yet letting him have it back because she knows it’s not supposed to be hers? Anon, I swear that was 100% the way I acted in countless similar situations. And I know, it may make me sound like a very bad sister (in Azula’s defense she’s actually a better sister than I am, in my brother’s defense he’s a better brother than Zuko could ever hope to be), but it’s still how it was.

From there onwards, a lot of my interest in Azula came from seeing how she suddenly stepped out of her “supreme villain overlord” role to prove she was really just a teenager like the rest of the cast. We’re talking about a girl who imitated her brother for shits and giggles, just to amuse herself at the expenses of a completely confused Aang. A girl who made a pun about the Avatar’s fangirls. Her sense of humor, no doubt, is kinda weird and not the sweetest? But she has one! It’s there, and no lie, I laughed my ass off with those two occasions at least.

Eventually, I just found myself more interested in her to the point of recklessly supporting her in the show. Yes, I knew the Gaang would win, and I didn’t mind, I liked them too! But I was slowly and surely loving Azula more with every passing episode, as she proved she was the one villain worth respecting in this entire franchise. And she was a fourteen-year-old girl with zero social skills, self-esteem issues to the ends of the earth, a turbulent relationship with her parents and her brother, and the frankly adorable wish to know if people might like her if they didn’t know she was a princess.

Another big selling point for me, as already stated, was her relationship with her brother. While my brother is a little less of a drag than Zuko can be (meaning, my brother can be happy once in a while :’D he even makes jokes… though seriously bad ones .__. maybe he shouldn’t make them...), their relationship was so similar to ours that it freaked me out. I’ve been competing with my siblings since forever, but when it came to outdoing my oldest sisters I seriously just couldn’t do it (honestly, no 3yo can expect to compete in regards of anything with a 10yo, or can she? :’D and yet I was such a pig-headed brat that I did it all the same). Meanwhile, my brother, only two years older than me, was an easier target to surpass, and I set myself on the task of doing that. Whenever he was better than me at anything, I ridiculed him (remember the knife scene?). Whenever I was better than him at anything, he would try to outdo me again and usually fail, then get annoyed and say it was a stupid thing anyways.

As we grew older, the conflict in our relationship grew a lot uglier in the sense that we didn’t really just snap at each other about toys now. I seriously got so pissed off by how entitled he was acting once that I locked myself up in the bathroom, punched a wall out of sheer frustration and damn near broke my hand in the process. No lie, that helped me vent my frustration real easily :’D

Basically, I’ve experienced the sibling relationship Azula did. My brother is far more popular than I am (well, in regards of people who live in our environment, at least), so everyone flocks to him, and when Azula’s friends betrayed her for Zuko, well… you can imagine how that stung for me :’D I’ve had friends who haven’t quite betrayed me for him or so, but they’ve stopped being my friends and become his, instead. How about that?

Anyways, Azula most likely wasn’t built up to be relatable, she was built to be a rounded character instead. There are more obviously relatable characters in the show, Katara is relatable for most the fandom, Toph is relatable for natural tomboys, and so on. But even then, none of these characters were built to be relatable. They were built to be real and believable, and in being built that way, they became relatable. And that’s what happened to me with Azula.

Honestly, I think I can’t really relate or empathize with Zuko a lot because of my own experiences too. I will judge him harder because yep, I’m biased :’D but I’m not trying to say he’s all bad and Azula is all good or anything. Truth be told, secret I’ve kept to myself for a long time… The finale depressed me for a day or two because I kept wondering if that was the only outcome for someone like Azula. Because in a sense, it looked like the show was saying that was kind of the outcome for someone like me. It felt like it was saying the world would judge me as impossible to save, while my brother got every success I could only dream of. 

And... who knows? Maybe that’s what’s happening indeed. He’s certainly doing better than me these days. All I can safely say is I’m glad he is. Despite things were bad between us, they’re not so bad anymore. So if I’m to be left unsuccessful and he’s off to shoot for the stars, I’ll congratulate him instead of holding grudges about why he gets that and I don’t.

Anyways, the finale freaked me out, but I distanced myself from the character to a degree so I wouldn’t project on her so much. Still, the way her ending wrapped up bothered me, and I was very much unwilling to see her life end that way. As the comics have been building her up either for a very bad downfall or for a very long redemption that still is barely beginning, I lose my patience often as I keep wanting something better for her ASAP. Not a lot of positive stuff has happened yet to her… but that’s what fanfiction is for, for me. Ever since I opened FF.net’s ATLA archive, the first thing I did was search for Azula getting happy endings xD

And thus, that’s why I write her as I do and connect with her as I have. Azula seems to gather most the traits of characters I loved, but on top of that, she had an eerily similar sibling relationship to mine with my brother. A lot of my own eternal chase towards polishing and developing my talents came from a rather toxic place of thinking that having lots of skills was the only way I could be valid, somehow. I’m not exempt from self-esteem issues myself, see :’D

Anyways, I realize the majority of people won’t find Azula relatable, acceptable, likeable in any way. I don’t mind, I don’t really think it’s that odd, the show very obviously featured her as a problem that needed to be dealt with. But I’m not one to stick with supporting only the heroes in stories. Very often I’ve liked villains better, whether because they’re complex and worth exploring, as Azula is, or because they’re simply more interesting than their heroic counterparts. I guess I could have said this from the start and spared you the insanely lengthy insight into how my mind works, right? :’D

[itsclydebitches]

(Volume 8 anon) I’m sorry to be rude, but are you blind? Or are you so desperate to like this show you ignore basic shit? Salem was shown making a big ass army of flying apes, Emerald’s semblance knocks her the fuck out if she does it to more then 2 people, and the FNDM would kick up a hissy fit if that shit was an illusion. Hazel himself said it best, she’s doing this herself. It’s fucking stupid she’s doing this now, and there is nothing to excuse it.

I’m not claiming that it would be good by any means, just possible that we could get it. See, you’re working from a place of logic: we’ve seen Emerald struggle with the limitations of her semblance so theoretically she shouldn’t be able to accomplish that. The problem is, I don’t personally feel like we can make assumptions like that after the last two volumes - the assumption that RT will adhere to their own established lore, world building, character traits, limitations, and all around write a cohesive, continuity driven story. As said, having Emerald suddenly summon up a massive army wouldn’t make sense... but when was the last time RT was hindered by “makes sense”? It didn’t make sense for aura to suddenly change. Or for Weiss to forget about her time glyphs. Or for Cordovin to let them through to Atlas. Or for RWBY to beat the Ace Ops. Or, as you say, for Salem to suddenly attack. I could provide a slew of different examples that (to varying degrees) contradict things that were previously established in the text. I’d also have little doubt that if we were to get Emerald as an explanation, a good portion of the fandom would work to justify it. I can easily picture meta posts along the lines of, “Well, we saw her summon up a massive Salem at Haven, so clearly she can work with size to some degree, and it has been a while since she got to fight on screen. Remember her training with Mercury? She’s obviously gotten stronger. Strong enough to cause this. It makes sense,” even though it doesn’t. If we got “Team RWBY can beat the most elite team of huntsmen after a few weeks of training” then I see little reason why we couldn’t also get a “Emerald can summon up a whole army after a few months of off screen training.” 

To be clear, I don’t think this theory is at all likely. I think, based on Volume 7, that RT is going to have the group beat back a very real Salem and her army somehow. However, when theorizing possibilities I can’t take “That wouldn’t make sense” as a persuasive reason for why RT wouldn’t do something because a lot in RWBY doesn’t make sense. RT ignoring their end scene of Salem summoning an army? They’ve ignored two end scenes with Raven. RT ignoring established limitation on semblances? They’ve done that too. We can’t bank on them adhering to the (already wishy-washy) laws they’ve laid down, so until we get some better consistency in the series theorizing between volumes is pretty much an “anything goes” situation. Last year who would have theorized that Qrow would team up with Tyrian as a likely, logical, makes-sense event? Not me. But that’s what we got.